Left to wait
by the-anon-quill
Summary: He knew he would be left alone - so he had to go. Merlin after 5.13.


**I know this has been done many times now, but I found it fitting with the new year coming. So I hope you enjoy it and have a great new year.**

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No-one could never understand why he had left Camelot. Especially Gwen. She came to believe it was because of the memories. She still saw Arthur everywhere – so it must have been hard for him. But it had been a year and a half since his death. And Merlin had returned to the castle – but yet he was gone now.

He left shortly after Gaius' death. He blamed himself for not being able to save the ageing man from his illness – and said he wouldn't be able to be the court physician. By the next day he was gone. He never said goodbye.

But she was wrong. Yes he blamed himself for his mentors death, but it wasn't the sole reason he left. He was scared. Terrified. By what time was going to bring. He feared he would forget all the good times he had in the city. Watching Gwen and Arthur fall in love. Elyan looking after his little sister. Gwaine's drunken antics. Leon and Percival being made to repair Gwaine's drunken damage. Gaius serving him vegetables, after his days in the stocks. The stocks – he'd even miss them. And Freya – the druid girl he fell in love with. Over time, he feared, he'd only remember a time of Camelot.

So he needed to get away. To get ready. For he had years to wait.

So he left. He stayed close enough to the city's walls so he could hear from passers-by what was happening. This worked well. Patrols would often pass and at lease one person would remember foolish Merlin. Often Leon and Percival would be in the group on patrol. The two men had come close over the years at worked well as a team.

When the two men found Merlin they would stay behind for a night to talk to him. It was a great joy for them, to find their old friend, but secretly he enjoyed it more. They would often sit by a camp fire and eat rabbit stew, like they use to in the years gone pass, exchanging news. It was here, on these short brief meetings, that Merlin learnt some of the greatest news since he had left Camelot. He had learnt that the ban on magic had been lifted by Gwen. Been told hilarious tales of new knights' training misfortunes. And that Percival had got himself a woman and even married her. However these meetings didn't last as long as any man wanted. With in seven years the three of them meeting had stopped. With in sixteen years the three of them meeting became impossible.

Percival left after seven years. He had recently become a father, but his wife died in child-birth. He didn't want his son to become an orphan, like many had become from the past war, so he became a dad – not a knight. Gwen accepted this - but saw a great opportunity. Percival became the trainer of new knights.

Leon (supposedly unaffected by love) still carried on being a knight. With out Arthur, he became the head knight. But he still found time to go on a small patrol, so he could see Merlin. But this became less and less often. After sixteen years though Leon was killed. He was murdered whilst giving talks on hope of peace between the Kingdoms in Alfred's kingdom.

The death of one of Camelot's finest didn't go well. A year-long war between the two kingdoms raged. Ended by two significant deaths. The death of the murder and the friend. Percival killed Leon's killer – it was what a friend did in those times, but he paid with his own life. Stabbed in the back by one of Alfred's cowards.

The three never talked again.

Gwen now felt as alone as Merlin was. She was in a castle full of memories of those dear to her, that had all passed on. She saw Merlin once more. He knew she was dying – so he visited her. She was shocked to see he hadn't aged, she was jealous too – she would've killed to have her old wavy brown hair back, that was now full of greys and hanged limply. Their meeting was short. And ended in short-lived confusion. Upon leaving Merlin told her, 'take care Gwen, for I'm sure we'll meet again here some day.'. Soon after she died. She got to meet those she cared for again, years of being lonely had stopped for her.

But for Merlin they were just beginning. He watched as Camelot fell. As it became a legend, mixed up in stories. The true story was forgotten over time, but it remained with one man. A lonely, ageing man. Who lived near the lake of Avalon for his whole life. A lake he forever watched. Waiting. No-one knew what the _crazy _old man was waiting for. Some say he was waiting for a saviour – who the country would need when the end would come, others say he was waiting for a King – who would rule the new land. Only few got it right, he was waiting for a friend – but no-one knew who or why.

He waited decades but they turned into centuries. Yet on his own he waited. Saddened and shocked by the state of the world. There had been wars, vicious wars, plagues and famines, droughts and fires. Surges in crime and murder. Yet he never came.

All in all Merlin had waited 1357 years 8 months and 24 days for his friend to return. But he hadn't. He just hoped 2013 wouldn't be another year of waiting.

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**I hope you like my first fanfic - I'd love to know, so could you please review? Thanks.**


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